• Posted January 6th, 2009 at 07:40 EDT by Steven Williamson
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In an exclusive interview with Namco Bandai, Combat Lead Designer Paul Guirao has given us a taster of what to expect when Afro Samurai arrives later this month, after revealing some of the ways in which our hero will utilize his sword during combat.

Admittedly, we were initially concerned that by limiting the character to having just one weapon in the game it could mean that the gameplay would become repetitive, but Guirao has revealed some of the unique ways in which Afro will use his weapon, which includes interacting with the environment, exploration and puzzle solving.

Not only will Afro be able to "slice and dice characters at will" by cutting off "hands, knee caps, scalp heads, the nose, ears" and much more, but he'll also use his swordsmanship to bring into play two notable features during combat.

The first will be "bullet slice," which will allow you to slice through a bullet, splitting it into pieces and sending it scattering into enemies. An ideal feature to use when surrounded by hordes of baddies, say Namco. "Reflect," on the other hand, will allow you to send any bullet or projectile that is launched at you back in the direction it came from. Both mechanics will require impeccable timing and skill, say Namco.

The interview will be live shortly, in which Guiaro talks about how Namco has implemented a deep combat system to ensure that skill rather than button mashing will get you through the game.

Stay tuned for the interview later today.